We are five families going on a Carnival Cruise - Victory (family reunion with 21 passengers). Can you share your experience on the ship as well as port of calls? We are especially interested in finding out things you did on the stops and your recommendations.

We are considering following :
San Juan -
Bioluminescence Bay Kayak Tour, Rain forest Tour (if it is still open after 5:00pm.

St. Thomas
St. John Trunk Bay Beach and Snorkel or Coral World Park, parasailing ...

My mother and I went to Megans Bay on St. Thomas last year when I was 15. It was sooo beautiful. The water was VERY clear and the beach was clean and smooth. There were people that brought their own floaties and they had different water equippment for rent. There are showers...bathrooms...and changing areas as well. My mom and I are going on a cruise to all of the same ports on the Carnival Paradise on 5/26 and we will probably go to Megans Bay again. Whatever you choose...I hope you have a great time....

Magen's Bay is a beautiful beach, but for snorkeling's sake, you can't beat Trunk Bay... i've been on 14 cruises, and the snorkeling at Trunk Bay is unparalleled on this itinerary... not to mention some incredible photo ops on the drive to the bay itself. .. the beach is nice, there's food, drinks, a gift shop, and modern showers all on site-- but it is still very untouched and gorgeous. Possibly my favorite excursion in all my cruises.

In San Juan, the El Yunque rainforest tour is great... a lot depends on your guide, but if you luck out like I have, it is very educational and beautiful.

As for the Victory, i'm going on her myself July 7... can't wait. From everything I've heard, she's a real beauty and has all the bells and whistles you could ask for. You'll fall in love with her, i'm sure.

Good luck-- you won't go wrong whatever you choose. I hope you enjoy your trip!!!

For the past four cruises we have not taken the shore tours offered by Carnival and have been very happy with our decisions thus far. In St. Thomas we got off the ship and asked a taxi driver to take us to the ferry to St. John. Where the ferry leaves you off in St. John, there are open air taxis with drivers that are very knowledgeable of the country and take you to the best photo ops. We picked a beautiful beach to swim for a few hours and when we were ready, there were taxis to return us to the ferry. We still had some time, so we asked a taxi driver to take us for a short tour of St. Thomas. We did the same thing in St. Martin. With your group you should be able to negotiate a fair price. We never had any problems with the ship's excursions, but we get to see more of what interests us, we go at our own pace and we have always paid considerably less. Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruise.